HTC TyTN / 8525 / JasJam (Hermes)
Average Ratings
THE ROADWARRIOR'S WORKHORSE
As a Roadwarrior who has had about every phone out there I've got to give 2-thumbs up for the 8525. This is one hard working champ of champs in phones.
THE PROS/WINS OF THE PHONE INCLUDE:
400 Mhz, HSPD/UMTS with an awesum tethered modem application built-into the phone.
Really clear screen, Great Speakerphone, MP3 Player, Very Responsive Keyboard, WIFI, HSPDA, IRDA and Bluetooth - about everything you can imagine on a phone.
The earpiece provides the best clarity of any phone I've used to date, plus its LOUDER than any phone.
The 2 MP camera is really good, precise and clarity is excellent.
In final, the 8525 is the best workhorse I've run into to date. You can do whatever you want to do & more. FINALLY A WORKHORSE IS BORN.
THE CONS:
The Phones Slider could be alittle more firm when sliding, however its not anything to be concerned with. The phone doesnt come with a holster (should for the price).
Absolutely GREAT phone and pda!
After researching the Blackjack and 8525, I decided to give the 8525 a shot because of the wifi, full windows mobile 5 (instead of Smartphone edition on the Blackjack), touchscreen (a must for solitaire and other games and WM5 apps), plus my boss has a 8125 and loves it. Note: I did like the size, feel, earpiece volume, and one handed use of the Blackjack, but heard horror stories about the battery life.
I have used the 8525 for a little over a month and I've been extremely happy with it. Especially after loading up my 2gb storage sd card with tons of windows mobile 5 programs, games, apps, tools, mp3s and more. It is great to have all of this as part of my phone (beats carrying a phone AND a pda). This phone allows me to let my girlfriend use my Dell Axim X50v because all of my needs are met with this phone plus it is less to carry for me. I am a programmer so I can develop my own applications for windows mobile 5.
I have kept windows mobile up to date and updated things like Moble.Net - Also there are quick hacks for ptt button remapping and lots of other tweaks.
PROS:
Great battery life. I can go 5 days on a single charge...medium use, heavy game use (solitaire, gemswap, spider solitaire, sudoku, others I've installed), light to medium web browsing/email thru wifi. This is my only phone (no home phone) so it is used regularly.
Keyboard is outstanding, I have had no problem typing, love the backlight
Touchscreen - I have even gotten where I can use my finger for almost everything..nice and accurate
I have experienced NO glitches, freezes, dropped calls, no problems so far
Ability to install any windows mobile apps (or write my own)
Voice dialing works great, even with bluetooth earpiece (a samsung earpiece I had with another phone)
Camera is ok, but I dont use it much.
Mp3s play fine and sound good enough (although I think my Sony W600i sounded louder and better)
memory/storage card slot
CONS:
non standard headphone jack
no case included
HTC 8125
Faster then my 8125, was able to get things up and running fast. The screen is nice and bright and very responsive to the touch screen.
I miss the side button to control volume on the side, as well as to activate voice commands.
the first step to pefection
Had the phone for 1.5 months now, I am amazed at the functionality they've jammed into such a small piece of HW.Everything is very smooth my HTC, I use it at work/while on the road; having the 3G (HSDPA) capabilities makes life much easier; I spend a good bit of time transfering files and this is where it has been extremely helpful. The phone has all of the bells n whistles; making use of all of them has been difficult, there is nothing that this phone cannot do; I have spent alot of time learning all of the in's and out's, AND there is so much more to learn about the TyTn's capabilities ! I am most happy with it; when I first saw it on line I thought that it was another "brick"; nothing more annoying than having a bulky phone in your pocket, not this one. Perfect, no complaints here, no RAZR, but it really is quite small when you think of what it does! Just make sure you dont damage the screen.
It is a step in the right direction considering the treo 700w , treo 700p , HTC 6700, BLACKBERY 7520 -8100- 8700 and the i930 and these are just the recent divorces
Pros
camera 2 mega pix - avg
video rec'd - respectable
Internet w 3G -incredible
WiFi - exceptional
Full QWERTY
DVD playback via DVDShrink -AWESOME
Speakerphone - LOUD n Clear
Reception - Perfect - better than my Nokias
Quad-band. Europe in October,no problems,worked as expected.
Installed TOMTOM 5.2 GPS-flawless w my BT GPS receiver.
400Mhz proc - overclocked - it is screaming fast, was OK before.
Video webcam - good
MS voice command installed -works well.
List goes on and on.
CONS
mini SD; and picture id
With a little tweaking....
Past phones: BB 8700c, 8125, L7, L2, LGCU500, RAZR, Nokia 6682...
I've had this phone for about 5 weeks. At first I was frustrated with a few issues but with a little research and tweaking all of these issues can be resolved. This is by far the best device I've had to date.
Pros:
Screen = clear, bright.
Camera = not great but not bad. In the best lighting it is very nice.
BEST PRO = The following additions:
1. Game - Flux Challenge
2. Skype - Works both in Wireless and 3G
3. TeleNav - You need the external GPS receiver, but it all works great.
4. RingCentral - I use RingCentral in my business and now the have the software to use with this phone so I can make calls with my 800 with my cell phone without revealing my cell number. True mobility
5. SlingBox - for TIVO or DVR owners you have to get this. Forget MobiTV, now you have your home TV on your 8525. Awesome product!
6. Stereo Bluetooth headset that allows you to listen to music or pull out the mic from the earpiece and use it on phone calls. Very cool. "Southwing SA505.
7. Yahoo! Go - works flawlessly. Great for posting your pictures on Yahoo Photos. Love it.
8. WebMessenger - very nice IM program.
9. Spb Diary - Nice PIM plug-in for the Today screen
10. Spb Pocket Plus - a must have for true "x" out of programs, so they don't continue to run in the background AND so you don't have to keep going back to the Task Manager.
CONS:
1. Standard battery life is OK with proper management. But as a rule I always get the extended battery.
2. Without some additional programs this phone will frustrate you after awhile.
3. Battery cover is a little weak and flimsy.
4. When you are using a Bluetooth Stereo headset you can only hear the ringer in the headset. If you have them on, no worries but if you have them say around your neck for a moment and the phone rings you'll miss the call. This is not true if you are using a regular Bluetooth headset, only the stereo Bluetooth headset.
Good functionality
This phone has everything I wanted and works as promised. I am a former Nextel customer so this was a real leap for me.
The service (as far as coverage) is excellent. I live in Dallas and there are a few dead spots for cellular service in the northern part of the area for some service providers (Nextel, Sprint).
PROs: All the listed functions work great. I like the quality of the speakerphone as it is less distorted, but not quite as loud as my old i870 Nextel. The 2.0MP camera is something that you can actually use for more than just photo ID for calls. Internet on the Data plan is fast. Screen is bright and easy to read. Both the stylus and keytouch (when you use the toucscreen) are accurate.
CONs: PRICE! Bulky. Not very customizable as far as the Today (desktop) screen. Wifi is a slow (at least where I've used it). Waking it up from sleep utilizes only the side button.
In all, it's a not a master of all trades, but has a pretty good balance.
HTC's Best Yet
I have had the TyTn for a week now, and like any good reviewer, I wanted to wait until I covered different geographic areas in South Florida. I purchased the phone from Paul at Superior Gadgets in Canada. Why would I do this ONE WEEK before Cingular's release of their 8525? After much research, I decided that I wanted the Un-Tainted version that is "HTC-Microsoft Pure", and not butchered by Cingular's mad scientists that think they can make a great thing work better!
PROS:
Great form factor-easy to hold-solid feel
The best RF I have ever seen from a cell**I use Cingular in Miami, Fl.
Samsung 400Mh Processor is super fast
UMTS-3G is super fast-benchmarks higher then all other HTC products
Slide out keyboard is solid, clicks into place, backlighting is fantastic, keys are solid and easy to use!
Windows Mobile 5 is like carrying a PC with you at all times.
Scroll wheel is ok-slider was ok too on previous models-8125.
Battery is better the average for a PDA-charge lasts about a full day.
CONS:
Side buttons are too close to each other-Too easy to press by accident-Nothing major about this.
Stylus is on the bottom, too small and too cheap-This is the reason I didn't give the TyTn a 5!!
I paid over $700, which was my choice, but that is allot of money. My impatience is not really a con, just a personal flaw!
Summary:
For PDA lovers, the device is awesome, fast reliable and user friendly!!
3G is unbelievable and a welcome addition to the world of communications!
Purchase this phone from HTC, or a private vendor-UNLOCKED! You won't be sorry!
Best phone and PDA on the market
Had the phone for 2 months now, Everything is very smooth my HTC, I use it at virgule on the road; having the 3G (HSDPA) capabilities makes life much easier; I spend a good bit of time transferring files and this is where it has been extremely helpful. The phone has all of the bells n whistles; making use of all of them has been difficult, there is nothing that this phone cannot do; I have spent allot of time learning all of the In's and out's, AND there is so much more to learn about the TyTn's capabilities ! I am most happy with it; when I first saw it on line I thought that it was another "brick"; nothing more annoying than having a bulky phone in your pocket, not this one.
Pros
camera 2 mega pix - avg
video rec'd - respectable
Internet w 3G -incredible
WiFi - exceptional
Full QWERTY
DVD playback via DVDShrink -AWESOME
Speakerphone - LOUD n Clear
Reception - Perfect - better than my Nokias
Quad-band. Europe in October,no problems,worked as expected.
Installed TOMTOM 5.2 GPS-flawless w my BT GPS receiver.
400Mhz proc - overclocked - it is screaming fast, was OK before.
Video webcam - good
MS voice command installed -works well.
List goes on and on.
CONS
mini SD; and picture id
Absolutely Amazing
I have been on a quest for "The Perfect PDA/Phone" ever since the concept began. The Tytn is the first one I have used (for 2 months now) that has all of the options and works flawlessly. It is the first device that seems to have all of the buttons in the right place, that don't accidentally "trip" going into pockets and holsters. Speaking of buttons-it has shortcut buttons for just about every important program, AND a thumb wheel/OK button too!
Pros:
-Screen is bright and clear
-Very useful, dedicated buttons for all the important programs-even has a Blackberryesque thumb wheel.
-60Mbytes of memory
-Back lighting on the keyboard is AWESOME
-The keyboard uses a 10 key format rather than typewriter style for entering numbers
-Very stable WM5 platform
-Excellent battery life-all day+ talk time, 3-4 days standby.
-Great 2 Megapixel camera-I used it on vacation when my digital camera battery died, and couldn't tell the difference when printed.
-Bluetooth works perfectly in all aspects-even supports BT stereo headphones.
-Excellent RF for sending and receiving calls.
-Automatically detects data type connection and speed, and adjusts for the best speed.
-Fits nicely into pants pockets, etc.
-I use a 1MB micro SD card, and loaded almost all of my 3rd party programs into it-they work perfectly.
Cons:
I hate the WM5 phone dial pad! But that's not the fault of this device.
The TyTn of PDA's!
I work for Cingular and have had this phone for about a month. Traditionally I've always been a Blackberry fan. When the 8125 came out, I jumped on the band wagon and got one, only to revert back to my 8700c. Upon the arrival of the 8525 and it's upgraded skill set, I was absolutely inclined to give it a second look.
Pro's
*Faster Processor (than 8125) - No more lagging while typing emails or switching between screens.
*Scroll Wheel - Makes CrackBerry users feel at home.
*Buttons - Then added a few new buttons. Mainly the "start & ok" keys on the front, as well as a scroll wheel & ok/back button on the side.
*UMTS/HSDPA - The web browser on this phone is fast. Whether you are using Opera Mini or Internet explorer.
*Form Factor - They Smoothed the edges (from the 8125_ and removed the annoying rubberized back door (made it hard to get in/out of a case 8125).
*GOODlink - Goodlink is just as good, if not better than Blackberry. It hurts, but it's true.
*Reception - This phone gets amazing reception. No dropped calls (Was/Bal).
*Battery Life - This phone will give you 1 1/2 solid days of battery life with good heavy usage.
*MobiTV, PTT, Stereo BlueTooth
*Power - Runs on pure diesel fuel.
Cons
*Task Management - The only real CON with this phone is that you have to go back into your system memory, and manually close your apps that are running in the background. For first time Windows Mobile users, this can be annoying. (note: if you don't close your apps the phone will begin to lag)
Overall, this phone is built with professionals in mind. If you are not an experienced PDA user, you might want to look @ the 8125. The price point on this Monster is still a little high to justify if you don't know what your doing. This phone really is a TyTn. Best PDA available. Bar None.
